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Shortly after President Trump claimed that the "nuclear button" on his desk is much bigger and more powerful than the button on the desk of North Korea's Kim Jong Un, the North demonstrated an eagerness to directly thaw relations with its Southern neighbor, when Pyongyang was first to use a border hotline with the South which resumed operation after an exchange of messages between Pyongyang and Seoul. Officials reportedly spoke for 20 minutes to make sure that the line works.

North Korea contacted authorities in Seoul over a hotline for the first time in about two years, paving the way for a thaw during the Winter Olympics despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh taunts at Kim Jong Un.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian police arrested a woman carrying Vietnamese travel documents who is suspected of involvement in the murder of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s half-brother.
Doan Thi Huong, 28, was arrested on Wednesday morning at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, according to a statement by Malaysian police Inspector General Khalid Bin Abu Bakar. The suspect was positively identified from closed-circuit television footage and was alone at the time, he said.

AFPKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police arrested a woman Wednesday in the apparent assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's exiled half brother who South Korean spies say once begged his sibling to spare his life.

KCNA/via REUTERSSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Grinning broadly, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delighted in the global furor created by his nation's first launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, vowing Wednesday to never abandon nuclear weapons and to keep sending Washington more "gift packages" of missile and atomic tests.

South Korea’s new president said Wednesday that he would be willing to hold talks in Washington and Pyongyang in efforts to ease the North Korean nuclear crisis, wasting no time in embarking on a new approach to dealing with Kim Jong Un’s regime.
The offer of shuttle diplomacy by Moon Jae-in came shortly after he was sworn in as president after winning a snap election triggered by the impeachment of former conservative leader Park Geun-hye.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Facing mounting international pressure over its nuclear and missile ambitions, North Korea has set a date for its biggest political convention in decades next week that is expected to bolster young dictator Kim Jong Un’s grip on power.
The ruling Workers’ Party, led by Kim, will open its 7th congress in Pyongyang on May 6, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — North Korea’s top official in charge of relations with South Korea has died in a traffic accident, the country’s state media announced Wednesday, potentially dimming the prospect for ties between the rival countries. He was 73.
Kim Yang Gon, head of the United Front Department at the ruling Workers’ Party, died Tuesday morning, the Korean Central News Agency reported. It said a state funeral will be held Thursday but gave no further details about his death.